The three target areas have been chosen on the
basis of two factors: partly a business consideration, partly the research
competence at Katrinebjerg.
The areas interactive spaces research, and pervasive healthcare are based
on a
comprehensive fact-finding work by two think tanks set up by the regional
IT council of Aarhus.
The software development is a cross-sectoral target area developing underlying
technologies, among other things for interactive spaces and pervasive healthcare
research.

The overall objective of public/private competence building
is to ensure that the latest knowledge in the field of IT is disseminated
to
the business
community
in Jutland and Funen. The researchers attached to the centre possess a
series of skills at an international level and considerable experience
from participation
in competence building projects with the business community.

The competence
centre is generally to ensure an effective transfer of knowledge to the business
community but it is also important that the
researchers
are in a position to test new ideas and conversely that they will appreciate
the problems which exist in the business community.

The Alexandra Institute
is the operator

The competence centre is part of a Danish national research
programme to strengthen public/private cooperation in Jutland and Funen with
the Alexandra
Institute
as operator. ISIS Katrinebjerg is one of four Jutland-Funen competence centres
sharing a total of DKK 87.5 million from the Ministry of Science between
them. With the DKK 30 million from the Government, ISIS Katrinebjerg is
the top
scorer of the quartette.

The money is part of the UMTS-compromise, ensuring
a total of DKK 350 million for Jutland-Funen IT projects.

The objective
of ISIS Katrinebjerg is to build a growth centre in the world élite
based on close cooperation between research and business community. The
aim is, among other things, to educate more researchers, business researchers
in particular, to increase the recruitment of young persons for the IT studies
in the area, to increase the number of start-up firms among IT students
and
to build strong networks of researchers and business people.
The Alexandra Institute: www.alexandra.dk

Work in the research area interactive spaces and buildings
is concerned with the integration of IT in tables, walls and entire buildings,
among other things.
The researchers work with pervasive computing, among other things on projects
in connection with schools and libraries.

In the years to come, county authorities and local authorities
will have to invest millions in new upper secondary schools/primary and lower
secondary schools and renovation of existing schools respectively.

The results of the projects are to contribute to the creation
of the proper foundation for decision on these considerable, future investments.
The specific development projects focus on the use of interactive IT with
a view to developing a world-class experience and learning environment.

The titles of the four projects are: ”Space for virtual
exibitions”, ”The interactive childrens’ library”, ”School
Competence Centre for IT and Media in a five-year perspective” and ”School
Compentence Centre for Mathematics and Science in a five-year perspective”.
Research and development in this area is conducted by InteractiveSpaces: www.interactivespaces.net

So far, the public health service has used information
technology in a kind of ”bookkeeping” of case histories, people,
consumption of resources, etc. But IT technology is capable of much more than
that. With the breakthrough
of the next large IT wave - pervasive computing - or IT in everything’ -
IT may mature into an omnipresent tool directly aiding in a better, faster
and more efficient treatment of the patients.

The main idea is to get the
computing power further out into the system.
From the secretary to the physician and the nurse and from bookkeeping
to direct
involvement in the treatment.
The computing power is integrated in the everyday life of patient and medical
staff, so to speak. The PC as an independent tool will be sent on the retreat,
whereas the computing power will continue to exist and serve our purposes
as a network embedded in furniture, walls, hospital beds and bandages,
among other
things.
Research and development in this area is conducted by Centre for Pervasive
Healthcare: www.pervasivehealthcare.dk

The IT environment at the University of Aarhus constitutes
a solid foundation for the development of software. The primary competence
in the field of
software development is to be found in object technology supplemented
by competence
in areas such as participatory design (the involvement of users in systems
development
), man-machine interaction, security and a series of subjects in the
field of theoretical computer science, such as analysis and design of effective
algorithms and data structures, semantics of programming language and
logic.

Under the auspices of ISIS a series of projects of software
development will be commenced under the auspices of the competence centre
with participation
of the public and the private sectors. These projects will cover a wide
field
and will contribute to further competence building in the field of software
development both in the corporate sector and at the universities.

Among
other things, the projects will work with software architecture, data structures,
object technology in appliances, software for pervasive
computing
systems and safety critical systems.
Research and development in this area is conducted by Object-Oriented
Software Systems Research Group: www.ooss.dk